Unless you keep close track of obscure holidays and observances, you probably didn’t know that August is “What Will Be Your Legacy? month.” Still, you might want to use this particular month as a useful reminder to take action on what could be one of your most important financial goals: leaving a meaningful legacy.

I have been walking through a time of transition for the past several months. Many things have changed in my personal life and in the lives of many family members. There have been times of deep sadness and times of great joy. There have been times of uncertainty and times of sureness. What I have come to realize through all of these changes is that grief is actually what I am experiencing. Most of us do not like that word, because it implies that there has been a death. But death does not have to happen for one to grieve.